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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

WHO SHALL I SAY?

You and I may get this question occasionally from a friend or family member and a lot of times it is "I feel God is calling me to something, but I don't know what it is"! Sure enough, I, myself, had that same question go unanswered for years, after I had a Man to man encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ on August 16, 1988!

I grew up in church. Did the youth group/missions thing and even preached my first sermon at age 14 in front of adult church. But for over a decade, I walked away from it, until the Lord knocked me literally flat on my back in 1988, for two weeks. During that literal down time, I had more than enough opportunity to re-evaluate the fiery direction my life was heading. Fortunately for me, I made the right choice. I know now, that the Lord was waiting for me to come to my senses after He had His Hands on my life from when I was a boy.

This will sound strange to some people, and especially to the unredeemed, but it is possible for a mere worthless mortal like myself, to meet the Lord Jesus and live to tell about it! It is the Father, whom no living man will ever see in this life. On that fateful day at 4am in 1988, He revealed Himself to me specifically and spoke directly to me. I have come face to Face with Him, once in 1988 and then again- last June. I will never forget His deep, loving, powerful, Voice which sounds like the dulcid tones of a huge waterfall! The Lord Jesus is also deadly serious about Himself. When I see Him again in Glory, I will have no trouble picking out my Master, Savior, Jesus - because He know His Voice in a very personal way.

The two encounters I had with Jesus in my life are modern examples of how the Lord reveals Himself to a person...and then calls them to His Service. Let us therefore look at Moses in Exodus 3, as the Biblical standard of "the Call"

Moses was up on the west side of Mount Horeb with his flock of sheep and saw a bush on fire, yet it did not burn to the ground. The Bible picks it up here "When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God (Exodus 3:4-6 ESV).

Here we see, God calling the incredibly strong and powerful 80 year old Moses out! Here is how He did it:- He got Moses' attention with the burning bush.- He got Moses to make a choice - which was to turn towards the Bush and seek out its origin.- He called Moses to a specific task.- He set down His conditions (when God calls a person, we play by HIS rules, not OURS!)- He set Moses apart by making him remove the shoes or things of this world and COME to God in the Presence of His Holiness. The great Apostle Peter reminds us in 1 Peter that God is Holy,Holy, Holy and NO ONE will see Him, without being Holy, consecrated and set apart.

The good news is that while none of us live holy lives in this world, when God gets a hold of us, and if we let Him, He will wash us clean through the regenerative power of the Blood of Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Living Word of God!

Moses did not just happen to be in the wilderness and then all of a sudden get called to be the great Deliverer of Israel, from the land of captivity in Egypt! No! He spent 40 years in the desert with Jethro, his father-in-law, raising sheep and no doubt, praying to the one true God of the Hebrews, Whom he (Moses) knew from his days as Prince of Egypt.

Later on in that Exodus 3 passage, the Word says "Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:13-14 ESV)

Moses did not hesitate and instead rose to the occasion. God did not reveal EVERY aspect of the Great Rescue from Egypt right there by the Burning Bush, when Jesus (Who IS YahWeh) spoke with Moses. God won't or may not tell us immediately when He calls you and I.

What God is most interested in is our Obedience and willingness to do whatever He says, no matter how small or large the task. He wants us to know the Simplicty and sheer honor and joy of knowing him. YahWeh wants it so that, when we are called out to our own burning bush, we too can say as previous stated by the Prophet Isaiah when he saw the glory of the Lord in His Temple (Isaiah 6) "HERE I AM, SEND ME!!!"

Most of all, when we obey and take the first step, we do have the Power and Authority to proclaim, when asked "Who sent YOU anyway?" You and I can reply "I AM THAT I AM" sent me (or YAHWEH)...which is the Holiest Name yet, for the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

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BERNADETTE SMYTH AND PRECIOUS LIFE!

Bernadette Smyth founded Precious Life in 1997.
WATCH BERN'S INTERVIEW ON EWTN FROM DC IN 2009!
A mother of four children she has almost single-handedly rejuvenated the Pro-Life community in Northern Ireland into the most active and vibrant of movements. She has inspired many with her inspirational speeches and rally calls and has become one of the most popular and sought after pro-life speakers. Today, Ireland remains abortion free thanks to Bernie's powerful leadership and vision.
Bernadette is tireless in her efforts to speak out for both mother and child. She has appeared on many television programmes and given hundreds of radio and print interviews. A true feminist, she works on the principles that every life is precious. Women should not be bullied into abortion and believes that abortion is not for women but a get out clause for men and the society we live in.
The hard work, commitment and love Bernadette has for the unborn child and the mother has made her a tireless campaigner with a reputation of straight talking and getting things done.
To invite Bernadette to speak at a conference, rally, workshop, prayer group, church, school or college, please contact her Precious Life Head Office on 028 90278484 or email info @ preciouslife.com